The Joy of Children's Literature

YA author Gayle Forman (who wrote If I Stay , which I loved) reveals her five favorite teen reads of the year in an article for NPR titled, Oh, To Be Young: This Year's Best Teen Reads . She starts the article by stating: I read a lot of young-adult novels. I also read a lot of adult-adult novels, and I'm always after the same experience, whether I'm reading Philip Roth or Philip Pullman: a book that sucks me in from chapter one, makes me think and, above all, makes me feel . I want to finish the book a slightly different person than I was when I started it.  I feel exactly the same way, as I think most of us do. I have read some, but not all of the books on her list. So, I will be adding to my "to read" list for the new year. How about you?

Dancing with the Stars has brought much attention to dancing in the US in the five years it has been on the air (even my local YMCA has started ballroom dancing classes). The same year Dancing with the Stars premiered (2005), the film Mad Hot Ballroom was released documenting the New York City public school system's ballroom dance program for fifth graders. I loved this movie and if you haven't watched it yet, it's a great movie to watch with the family over the holiday break. You can see the children in the film literally transformed over the 10-week period of the documentary, culminating in a city-wide competition. Each of the dances highlighted in these shows,  such as the tango, foxtrot, swing, rumba and merengue, have a deep cultural history and when adults and children alike perform these dances, they join in the origins, history, movements, music, and performance of the generations who have gone before them to bring the dance to where it is today. I believe that i...

The 2010 National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature is Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine, published by Penguin. ABOUT THE BOOK In Caitlin’s world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That’s the stuff Caitlin’s older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon’s dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger’s, she doesn’t know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes is what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white—the world is full of colors—messy and beautiful. Interview by Eisa Ulen  Eisa Ulen: The female protagonist in your novel, Caitlin, has Asperger’s syndrome, a condition your daughter also has. In Mockingbird , Caitlin ...

Every year at this time, I read aloud Laurie Halse Anderson's picturebook, Thank you, Sarah!: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving.  It is the little known but true story of how Sarah Hale, editor of Godey's Lady's Book , fought for decades to get the fourth Thursday of November declared as a national day of Thanksgiving. Every year, the majority of students in my preservice reading/methods course are unfamiliar with this story and have even argued that it isn't true. Anderson writes the story in a wonderfully engaging way and provides an extensive list of resources in the back.  One of my students found a new resource which she shared with me. The Public Radio show, BackStory recently featured Historian Anne Blue Wills who tells the story of Sarah Josepha Hale, a New England magazine editor who campaigned tirelessly to put Thanksgiving on our national calendar. The audio slide show titled: Sarah Hale: The Mother of Thanksgiving provides a narrated photo essay t...

I have been posting about the blog buddies project between my preservice teachers and a class of fourth graders. Together, we are reading Ellen Potter and Anne Mazer's Spilling Ink and posting to our blog titled Spilling Our Ink . Today, I discovered that Ellen and Anne have performed the first duet recording of Spilling Ink by Full Cast Audio , directed by Bruce Coville. Below is a look behind the scenes...

Previously, I have announced on this blog my upcoming NCTE presentation on Virtual Author Visits with Kate Messner, Ellen Potter, and LeUyen Pham which will be on November 20th at 8:00 a.m. in the Coronado/Coronado S Ballroom. Recently, NCTE started sending presenters a printable flier announcing their upcoming session at the conference, which I think is really neat. Below is the flier announcing my other presentation with author extraordinaire Margaret Peterson Haddix ! I hope to see you there.

It's already that time of year! The New York Times annual Best Illustrated Children's books of 2010 is out today--just in time for holiday gift giving. CHILDREN MAKE TERRIBLE PETS Written and illustrated by Peter Brown Annually since 1952, the Book Review has asked a panel of judges to select 10 winners from among the several thousand children’s books published during the year. The judges this time around were Robert Sabuda, a co-creator of the best-selling “Encyclopedia Prehistorica” series and twice the recipient of a Times Best Illustrated award; Elizabeth Bird, a children’s librarian with the New York Public Library, whose first picture book, “Giant Dance Party,” is due out next year; and David Barringer, a novelist and designer who is the author of “There’s Nothing Funny About Design.” — The Editors

My article, Teaching With Authors' Blogs: Connections, Collaboration, Creativity is in this month's issue of the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy .* This article was so much fun to write! It was born out of a presentation I did last year at NCTE with five children's/YA authors who are also proliferate bloggers: Laurie Halse Anderson , Barbara O'Connor , Lisa Yee , Justine Larbalestier , and Maureen Johnson .   As with the presentation, the purpose of the article is to explore the motivation for and content of young adult literature authors' blogs and the potential use of these blogs for teaching and learning the English language arts and 21st-century literacy skills. I include either direct quotes or content from the blogs of all of the authors listed above, plus content from the blogs of Esme Codell and John Green . A great big THANK YOU to all of these authors for permission to use content from their blogs in the article and for taking the tim...

 From the November 1, 2010 edition of the New York Times : Prize Is Created for Gay Literature for Young Readers By JULIE BOSMAN The American Library Association has added an award for gay and lesbian literature to its annual prizes for children’s books. The prizes, which include the prestigious John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott medals, will be announced on Jan. 10. The new award, called the Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award, is for an English-language book “of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered experience,” the association said on Monday. Stonewall Awards for adult books have been handed out since 1971. Robert Stevens, the president of the American Library Association, said in a statement that children’s books that include the experiences of gays and lesbians “are critical tools in teaching tolerance, acceptance and the importance of diversity.” Books that win awards from the association are closely w...

All students who enter the classroom come as members of families, neighborhoods, religious groups, sports teams, clubs, and organizations--each of which is a community of practice. Communities of practice are places where human beings develop competence through their interactions with each other. Through these interactions, we define our identities. Classrooms are also communities of practice where each student possesses unique knowledge and perspective that pushes the thinking of every other student. Elementary school teachers have many and varied opportunities to get to know their students on an individual basis--who they are as members of families, neighborhoods, religious groups, sports teams, clubs, and organizations--that will influence the instructional decisions, conversations, text selections, teaching points, and connections they make throughout the year. Middle and high school teachers have less time with their students, but still usually see them on a daily basis over a ...

Announcing the release of the second edition of   The Joy of Children's Literature Isn't the new cover exquisite! There is also a new foreword written by Esme Codell , for which I am very honored. The second edition has many new and updated features and new technology resources! To read a detailed description of The Joy of Children's Literature , 2nd edition, and to order a copy, click here . You may also visit my new website for information and access to many of the technology resources: www.thejoyofchildrensliterature.com Please send me your feedback!

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post, Skyping Across Boundaries: Part I , in which I discuss a partnership between the preservice elementary teachers in my reading/language arts methods course and Amy Moser's fourth grade classroom around the book Spilling Ink by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter. During that post, I reported on the Skype session my class conducted with Mrs. Moser prior to the beginning of school in preparation for our blog buddies project. Today, I am reporting on the second Skype session my class conducted with Mrs. Moser's fourth graders in which the blog buddies "met" each other. Mrs. Moser and I met in advance and paired up the students into blog buddies and I distributed the list to the preservice teachers in class. On the day of the Skype visit, each of the preservice teachers stood and introduced them self to Mrs. Moser's class and announced the name of his/her blog buddy. When the fourth grader's name was called, s/he stood up. In this way,...

Some of you may have read a few of my earlier posts in which I went on and on about the new School of Education building in which I now teach with the latest and greatest technology.You may have also read a post in which I discussed the virtual author visits via Skype that two of the teachers in my children's literature course conducted in the spring. Now, these two things have come together in powerful ways to provide experiences for the preservice teachers in my reading/language arts methods courses. Amy Moser, the fourth grade teacher who conducted the virtual author visit with Ellen Potter ( Spilling Ink ), and I are pairing up our students into blog buddies! Her fourth graders and my preservice teachers will both be reading Spilling Ink and blogging about the "I Dare You" prompts in the book. Once they have written their individual blog posts, they will comment on their blog buddy's response. Before we started the project, I wanted the preservice teachers...

From On Our Minds @ Scholastic Set aside your coffee so you don't spill it when I share the big news...It was just announced this morning that " The Oprah Winfrey Show" will be airing an exclusive interview between Oprah and J.K. Rowling, author of the best-selling Harry Potter book series. The interview, which will be Rowling's first appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," will air this Friday, October 1, 2010. In the interview, which took place in Edinburgh, Scotland, Rowling shares with Oprah about her life and career as well as how she became one of the most recognizable writers of children’s literature today. Rowling, who rarely does interviews (so can you imagine how psyched we book-nerds are?!?!), also shares her thoughts on the possibility of ever writing another Harry Potter book in the future. Could Friday take any longer to get here? The interview with Oprah Winfrey and J.K. Rowling will air this Friday, October 1, 2010 on ...

Defending the Right to Read: Celebrating Banned Books Week   September 28, 2010 2 p.m. EDT/1 p.m. CDT/12 p.m. MDT 11 a.m. PDT   Librarians and teachers face more challenges than ever when it comes to defending children’s right to read. In celebration of Banned Books Week, this webinar features a stellar panel of experts, including renowned author and longtime advocate of intellectual freedom Judy Blume, who will discuss book rating systems, the impact of the Internet on challenges, the effect of censorship on children’s publishing, and how to best prepare for book challenges.    A dditional speakers include Beverly Horowitz, Vice President and Publisher of Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers; Pat Scales, former school librarian and a member of the National Coalition against Censorship Council of Advisors; Kristin Pekoll, a youn...

Via Fuse#8 School Library Journal Joins Picture Literacy’s Summer Sweepstakes as Co-Sponsor August 31, 2010; Milwaukie, OR School Library Journal is now co-sponsoring Picture Literacy’s End of Summer Sweepstakes, in which $1500 in graphic novels for emerging and reluctant readers in grades K-6 will be given away to four winners. Ads for the sweepstakes will appear on the School Library Journal website and in their electronic newsletters. A full-page ad will appear in the September 2010 issue of the School Library Journal magazine. “It’s very exciting to have School Library Journal join us in promoting this sweepstakes,” said Andrew McIntire, Director of Marketing at Picture Literacy. “Graphic novels are a powerful literacy tool, and we love helping schools out during these rough times by giving away these books. The first national launch of our catalog will go out at the end of September to hundreds of classrooms in 48 states. We couldn’t be more pleased to be sharing...

My classroom in the new School of Education I am so lucky! This week, the fall semester started at The College of William & Mary and the first group of students entered a brand new School of Education ! The picture above is of the classroom in which I am teaching. It is so beautiful. There is so much light and space and everything is new. Including the technology. The picture to the right is the podium from which I can choose to use the computer, document camera, VCR, or television, all at the touch of a button. Let me tell you, it is a wondrous thing, especially when I have had access to none of it in the old building (and when you teach on a campus that is over 300 years old , "old" takes on a new meaning:-). My office, however, is still in need of work. I did get pictures hung on the wall though. Does anyone know from which picturebook I took these pictures? And, I did get most of my picturebooks shelved.  But, as I said, I still have a lot of work to do! O...

Did you know that two time Caldecott Medal winner, David Wiesner has a new picturebook coming out in October? Well, you do now! It looks and sounds amazing, but of course, we would not expect anything less, right? Check out the video below to see what a treat we are all in for when the book comes out in 43 days (not that I'm counting). You might also be interested in A Tribute to David Wiesner , written by David Macaulay , that appeared in Horn Book Magazine .

Are you impatiently waiting for August 24th? If so, here are a few links to blog posts that might help past the time... 5 Questions with Suzanne Collins: Author of the Hunger Games Trilogy . Suzanne Collins answers these questions in the following video: Hogwarts Professor has posted a Mockingjay prediction along with several other posts about the book. Oz and Ends has posted about dystopic novels in general. Plan a Mockingjay party! CardiganNation has lots of ideas. Start your own conversation about Mockingjay at the JCL Ning .

www.thejoyofchildrensliterature.ning.com I have excellent news! The publisher of The Joy of Children's Literature is sponsoring the JCL Ning for the upcoming year. You do not have to be an adopter of JCL to use the Ning. It is simply a gathering place for those interested in discussing children's literature. If you are unfamiliar with a Ning, go to the JCL Ning and look around.  Here are some of the things you can do: Start a book club group . Any book. Any group. Want to discuss the third book in the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins coming out next week? Start a discussion. Want your students to form groups to discuss their books all year? Start a group. Start a forum . Have questions for other teachers about books they are reading in their classroom? Need ideas for books on specific topics or genres? Have ideas you'd like to share with others? Start a forum. Wendy has started a forum on literature that supports writing workshop . Share your ideas with her....

I just received a link to a wonderful new series of videos on effective literacy practices developed by The Reading Recovery Council of North America in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education to offer professional development resources and activities to strengthen early literacy outcomes with K-3 students nationwide. As I clicked on the first module, described below, I was thrilled to see Vicki Altland (in the picture above), a literacy coach at Sallie Cone Elementary in Conway, AR, and a dear friend of mine who is featured in The Joy of Children's Literature ! Professional Development Resources to Strengthen Early Literacy Outcomes This video library offers extensive examples to help educators strengthen early literacy outcomes for K-3 students. Six effective literacy practices are highlighted to deepen teachers' understandings of literacy learning. The practices may be incorporated into teaching in the classroom, small groups, and one-on-one instruct...

It's hard to believe that this is the 10th year for the National Book Festival . The first festival began the summer I moved to Virginia, which made it possible for me to attend. And, am I ever happy that I made the trip! Being among people who love books as much as I do is a wondrous thing indeed. Hundreds of people, old and young alike, descend upon the National Mall in Washington D.C. each year to hear authors talk about their work. It's usually hot or raining and crowded, but still, you gotta love it. This year, the National Book Festival will be held on Saturday, September 25th from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and as usual, is free of charge. Each year, the line up of children's and YA authors/illustrators/advocates  is commendable and this year is no different. Check out the list so far: M.T. Anderson Michael Buckley Suzanne Collins Timothy Basil Ering Jules Feiffer Mem Fox Margaret Peterson Haddix Phillip M. Hoose Norton Juster Pat Mora...

Two days ago I was drinking my morning cup of coffee as I scrolled through my blog roll when I received my first gift from children's author extraordinaire, Barbara O'Connor. I came upon a post from Barbara's blog,  Greetings From Nowhere , titled: The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester , Chapter 1 . I thought maybe she had posted the first chapter of her soon-to-be-released new book. But, no. It was so much better than that! Barbara READ ALOUD the first chapter of the book!! And, it is amazing for many reasons: First, Barbara does an excellent job of reading aloud. Second, there is nothing like hearing the author read aloud his/her own work. Just think about it. The author's craft comes alive! Third, what a great way to entice the potential reader to run out an buy a copy of the book as soon as it becomes available.   I think we readers should start a new campaign. Rather than or in addition to the ever so popular book trailer, the author should...

Those of you that read this blog know that I'm a big listener of audiobooks, so last year when I listened to Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford and was ***completely blown away,*** I told myself to look this guy up to find out more. But, then life got in the way and I totally forgot...until last month when I listened to The Big One-Oh! and thought  this guy is really good! So, I did look him up and found out why he is such an amazing performer: Dean Pitchford starred on Broadway in Pippin and Godspell before turning to songwriting and screenwriting. His multimillion-selling songs include the Oscar-winning “Fame,” “Footloose,” “Holding Out for a Hero” and “After All.” He has been nominated for four Academy Awards, five Grammys and two Tonys. His stage musical adaptation of Footloose played over 700 performances on Broadway and is now being produced around the world.   With those kind of credentials, no wonder Dean Pitchford is so good at performing his...

Seth Godin on how schools teach kids to aim low and wait for instructions. This is a very thought provoking video. Godin says the original purpose of public education as envisioned by Andrew Carnegie, Woodrow Wilson and others was to train people to become compliant factory workers and to teach kids that the best way to fit in and feel good is to buy stuff--and that is what we are still doing today. While we've built an economy on the factory worker, we under value and even discourage creativity, innovation and asking questions. His main premise is that we can't test our way out of this situation. Rather, we must essay, sketch or debate our way out of it. He goes on to say that college is an even bigger scam than public school and that the application process is a joke. My son will be entering his senior year in high school in the fall and we have been visiting campuses in our area. This and the fact that I teach at a college bring this discussion close to home. Throug...

From the July/August 2010 issue of The Horn Book Magazine Books that Horn Book loved by the ALA awards didn't: Someday My Printz Will Come: Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork Everybody Loved It But ALSC:   Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge Most Discussed, Least : The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge Best trip to the moon: Mission Control, This Is Apollo by Andrew Chaikin, illustrated by Alan Bean Best trip to Japan: Hannah’s Winter by Kierin Meehan Best camping trip: Alvin Ho by Lenore Look, illustrated by LeUyen Pham Best subway ride: Redwoods by Jason Chin Most instructive: How to Steal a Car by Pete Hautman Most constructive: Pharaoh’s Boat by David Weitzman Most deductive: Thumb and the Bad Guys by Ken Roberts, illustrated by Leanne Franson Best sisters: The Great Death by John Smelcer Best grandparents: Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry Best foster mother: Hook by Ed Young Best father figure: The Cha...

The Outreach Council of the African Studies Association annually honors oustanding authors and illustrators of books about Africa published for children and young adults in the United States. The Children's Africana Book Award program has announced two winners and two honor books for 2010. The 2010 Best Book for Young Children is Pharaoh's Boat , written and illustrated by David Weitzman (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children). The 2010 Best Book for Older Readers is Nelson Mandela: The Authorized Comic Book by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Umlando Wezithombe (W.W. Norton & Co.). The 2010 Honor Books for Older Readers are Trouble in Timbuktu by Cristina Kessler (Philomel/Penguin Young Readers Group) and Burn My Heart by Beverley Naidoo (Amistad/HarperCollins Children's Books). The 2010 Children's Africana Book Awards will be presented on November 6 in Washington, DC. For further information, visit the Africa Access Review website .